The Royal Apprentice
by AndsotheTardisdisappeared
Summary: A Nalu story set in the Camelot era, around the 1200s. Natsu is the new apprentice of the Magnolia Palace blacksmith, Gildarts. One day, he's out doing errands for Gildart's daughter Cana, when he runs- more like crashes, really- into the Royal Princess Lucy Heartfilia. I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. Ch 1- Errands To Be Run

**Quick A/N:**

 **Hello all!**

 **this is my first story, a Fairy Tail fanfic. The main pairing for this story is Nalu (Natsu x Lucy) as well as mentions of other pairings such as Jellal x Erza, Gajeel x Levy (one of my OTPs) and Gray x Juvia.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail, it belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

Life in Magnolia Palace was, as Levy would have put it, dull.

There was rarely any excitement during events, let alone in the networks of servants and middle class that buzzed around its borders and within its walls.

That was, until the arrival of a strange boy with bright pink hair.

Natsu Dragneel had long been on a search for his missing father, Igneel, who had mysteriously vanished from his village when he was young. This search, long though it had been, had revealed nothing. After years of fruitless looking, Natsu had been offered to stay with a group of servants and working class members known as Fairy Tail at the Palace of Magnolia. Opting this over more searching, Natsu had moved in with the maid servant of the Princess of the Palace, Cana, and was an apprentice to her father, the blacksmith Gildarts.

For a while, the ordinary life of Magnolia had been thrown into chaos with the addition of this boy, who seemed to stir up trouble where ever he pleased, and didn't care much for rules or how often he broke them. The only one able to reel him in, it seemed, was the Royal Guard Erza Scarlet, who tolerated not the disruption of her fine city.

It was not long, however, before the greyness of Magnolia life had seeped into even Natsu's vibrant personality, and though he still liked to annoy certain people and had little regard for social boundaries, even he eventually became another piece of background noise, still relevant, but unsurprising.

It was a fine Tuesday morning, seven years after Natsu had moved into Magnolia castle, with a clear blue sky and little cloud, sun streaming in through the clean windows of Natsu's bedroom, leaving streaks of pure light falling across his pillow.

He rolled over groggily, groaning in the new morning light, arching his back and stretching his arms over his head. Sound already emanated from the front room that lead off into Cana's room, the bathroom, housed the small kitchen (which consisted of a wooden table, wooden crockery and cutlery stacked neatly in a corner on a footstool, and a fireplace against one wall), had a door going into both Gildart's bedroom and the forgery and furnace room that Gildarts and sometimes Natsu made their repairs in. The smell of baking bread and fermenting beer reached his overly sensitive nose, which nobody could really explain, and he snapped his eyes open, throwing his covers off and bouncing out of bed, pulling on his pants, vest and scarf with no regard as to how straight they were or if they were even on the right way.

He slung his satchel over his shoulder, the one he used to run errands and take pieces of finished metal work, should they be small enough, to others. His door swung open quickly, and he bolted out, straight to the table, which he sat down at instantly.

'Asleep for the work, awake for the food, as usual,' Gildarts laughed, sliding a few cooked eggs onto a plate Cana set in front of Natsu.

The boy grinned. 'Got any work today?'

'A bit,' Gildarts said mysteriously, pouring a few squeezed apples into a mug and setting that in front of him as well, 'But I think that Cana had a favour she needed completed.'

'Because you owe me,' the girl in question took a swing of her cider.

'No way! I don't do favours,' Natsu said through a mouthful of egg, 'Why can't you do it yourself anyway?'

'Because I have to attend to the Princess today during the Suitor's visits. And Makarov will have my head if he finds out I haven't done it.'

The Dragneel downed half his glass of apple juice. 'Fine, fine. What'd ya need?'

Cana stood, scraping her chair back, and grabbed a small bottle of purple liquid in a small vial from the table. 'This needs to be taken to Wendy, the palace physician. It's something she needs for a cure or something. Wolf's Bane, Jasmine, Blue Rose...I don't know, I'm not a healer. Just make sure she gets it, okay? And don't drop it like last time.'

Natsu grinned around his mouthful. 'You got it!'

'If you get his right, you can have the rest of the day off,' Gildarts said, pushing scraps off his plate and through the window into the garden bed. 'I've got some work to do around here.'

'Sweet!' Natsu pushed back his chair and grabbed the vial from Cana, stuffing it into his bag. 'See you later!'

Gildarts set down his plate calmly and reached out a hand as Natsu ran past, catching the back of his vest. With a surprised yelp, the enthusiastic boy fell backwards onto the floor, hitting his head and sitting up with a desponded, 'Ow.'

'Hold your horses there, Natsu,' he said, his tone calm but firm. 'I feel like you need another reminder of how important today is.'

'But you told me yesterday,' he whined from the floor.

'Knowing you, you've forgotten already. Alright, boy, listen carefully. Today is when the suitors come to meet the Princess. You are not allowed to go anywhere near the Palace main hall, the Princess's quarters, the Throne room, or the training grounds, understand? You don't interrupt Cana or anyone else while they're busy, especially not if they're with the Princess. Got that?'

Natsu sighed. 'Yeah, yeah, I got it. Can I go now?'

Gildarts nodded, and he scrambled up from the ground and bolted out the door into the courtyard that lead to the market, which invariably lead to the Physician's chamber.

He bounced from stall to stall, inspecting everything he came across, occasionally trading his money for a small wood carving, or a fresh egg that he slipped into his satchel for lunch. He waved to people he knew, and grinned at everyone he passed.

'Hey, ice brain!' he yelled to the back of a dark haired boy, who turned immediately. 'You ready for round 2?'

'I totally beat you last time!' the boy yelled back, clenching his fists, making his way through the crowd. 'If Erza hadn't stepped in, you would have been squished between the cobble stones right now!'

'Hah! You wish!'

'Try me, Flame Brain!'

'I would beat you any day, Ice Queen!'

The two boys snarled at each other, lunging closer, ready for a fight, before two hands grabbed each by a tuft of their hair and pulled them apart, the two of them crying out in shock.

'That's enough, you two,' a commanding voice said darkly, 'before I put both of you in comas.'

'WE'RE SORRY ERZA!' the boys yelled in chorus, grabbing at their hair.

The red-haired girl's dark eyes flashed dangerously. 'Like you mean it.'

The two said it again, and again, until eventually Erza could be convinced to let the blacksmith apprentice and the street vendor go.

'Shouldn't you two be working?' she demanded.

'Gray distracted me!' Natsu defended.

'Natsu called me over!' Gray whined.

Erza folded her arms across her Guard uniform, her armoured breastplate and her blue skirt sitting smartly on her form as if they were simply meant to be there. 'No more excuses. Off you go. Gray, I think Juvia has stolen your chair again.'

Gray cursed loudly and stumbled off through the crowd after the royal maid as she squealed something about "owning something so close to Gray-sama", running away from his stall happily.

Natsu reached into his bag to check if the vial was alright. Closing his fingers around the smooth glass, he sighed a breath of relief. He bid his farewell to the frankly terrifying royal Guard, and continued away to Wendy's place.

Once the market stalls fell away to reveal another courtyard, he knocked on a wooden door loudly and shouted, 'Wen? It's me, open up!'

A second later, the door creaked open, behind it a small white-haired girl. Despite sounding older and being a sort of mother-figure to Wendy, Carla was in actuality several years younger, the same age as Natsu's best friend Happy, who was, sure enough, standing just behind her, tapping her shoulder and whistling on about nothing in particular.

'Natsu!' he stopped short and yelled, happily surprised, his odd blue hair ruffling in the breeze from the door.

'Natsu,' Carla agreed, her tone somewhat more flat. 'Do you need Wendy for something or are you off on another one of your shenanigans?'

He pulled the vial from his pocket, and held it up proudly. 'Delivery.'

Carla clicked her tongue. 'Well, I'm sorry Natsu, but you just missed her. She left to attend to a sick member of the court.'

'Do you know which one?' he asked.

'No. However I'm sure it would't be too difficult to figure out which one. Now, shoo, I have bread cooking, and I can only deal with one of you morons at a time.' She gestured behind her at Happy.

Natsu flashed her a grin, and turned quickly, heading back to the market, snaking through the paths that lead up to the Palace itself.

He climbed up the stairs to the great oak doors, and allowed the two guards standing by- Makao and Wakaba- to open the doors for him, smiling. He bounced through, into the large marbled main hall of the Palace, seemingly empty now the the suitors had arrived to greet the Princess and everyone had flocked to the Training grounds to watch them compete.

He climbed a tiled staircase eagerly, glancing around for any sign of the small blue haired healer. He ducked into various corridors and even once into the library, to no avail.

The court members, he knew, were required to stay near the Training grounds to watch the competition for the Princess's hand in marriage. Natsu himself had never seen the point of these battles; apart from another reason to fight, they did nothing. The same men fought the same battles for the same Princess only to face the same rejection, year after year. He didn't see the need the Kingdom had to find the Princess a husband if she was content with being by herself.

Sighing as he turned into yet another corridor, this one on the edge of the palace and looking out over the courtyards and markets through the large ornate windows to his left, Natsu pulled the vial out of the bag again and stared down at it, watching the purple liquid slosh around in the bottle. He quickened his pace, afraid of dropping it before it reached Wendy. He could hear distance running footsteps echoing through the corridors and chambers of the Palace, hardly thinking twice about it. The footstep approached rapidly, but he continued to be enraptured by the tiny glass container, stepping around a corner before colliding heavily with something on the other side.

The vial slipped out of his hands as he fell back with a surprised yelp, landing heavily on his back on the cold stone floor. A shocked squeak came from the thing he had collided with, dispelling his thoughts of it being a wall, and there was a thump a little way away from him.

The vial clicked onto the floor and rolled around, miraculously untouched by the sudden assault on it, coming to a stop just beside Natsu's head as the boy groaned and sat up.

The figure he had thought to be a wall was in fact a girl, a pretty blonde girl with chocolate brown eyes and hair tied away from her face with a blue ribbon, outfitted in a fine royal blue dress that reached the floor and a black cloak that hung away from her shoulders several sizes too big.

She sat up and blinked slightly, a confused expression crossing her face, before she saw Natsu sprawled along the ground.

She scrambled up, holding a hand out to help him up. He grabbed the vial and stood, bowing quickly, stumbling to get his satchel open and the bottle put away.

'I'm so sorry,' she apologised, to his surprise, and curtseyed. Immediately she pulled her cloak hood up and pushed past him, picking her pace back up as she ran down the corridor.

His brain going into overdrive trying to figure out where he had seen her before, he took off quickly after her, yelling, 'H-hold on! Who are you?'

'Nobody!' she called back, and continued running, darting around the corner.

Natsu followed her. 'Wait! What are you running from?!'

She didn't answer, her steps beginning to slow as she lost her breath.

Natsu, finally catching up to her, caught her elbow.

She whirled around, her breath heavy, and looked at him indignantly. 'What do you want?'

'At least tell me your name,' he pressed on.

She pulled her arm away and said, 'Yours first.'

The pinkette shrugged, and put his hand back to his side. The sunlight caught in his eyes and 'Natsu. Now you.'

There was a noticable hesitation before she quietly mumbled, 'Lucy.'

Natsu blinked, before grinning. 'That's a really pretty name-'

There was the echo of yelling from a few corridors away, and Lucy's eyes widened, pulling the cloak tighter around herself and turning, sprinting away. 'I have to go! Nice to meet you Natsu!'

'Wait! Hold on-' he tried, beginning to follow her, but she had already disappeared around the next corner

Natsu puffed out a breath and slowed, the satchel bouncing against his side. As much as he would have liked to go after her and puzzle out what she was running from, he had an errand to run.


	2. Ch 2- Deliveries

**Hello all!**

 **I can't apologise enough for not updating. Life is kinda hectic right now. But, as of today, updates will be weekly on a Friday, unless I have a note in my bio that says otherwise. I don't know how many of you actually read author bios, but there you go.**

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews and I promise updates will be regular from now on!**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

 **Chapter 2- Deliveries**

Natsu woke up the next morning the same as he had for seven years now; to the smell of the cider Cana drank, to baking bread, to the smell of the smoke rising through the chimney into the sky. The fires of the forge burning bright as ever, the coals heating up for the new day ahead, and the ash flickering into the air, sparking and cooling as it pleased.

This day, however, something felt different- a feeling in his stomach, one that he was sure wasn't simply the undercooked porridge he had eaten for dinner the day before. He lifted his eyelids groggily, the criss-crossed wooden beams of his roof as familiar to him as his own hand, and sniffed. The air felt thicker then it had the yesterday.

He yawned on impulse, unable to help himself, and listened intently. The busting noise of the markets and streets seemed normal enough. He could hear the bargaining yells, Juvia's excited squeal as she saw Gray for the first time that morning, Mirajane's angelic voice as she sung casually while making her rounds with the grain for the serving staff, Erza's barking orders, the librarian Levy reading softly to Gajeel as he polished armour in the armoury.

It was the usual working class buzz, but with an underlying tension.

He ignored the knot in his stomach as he pulled on his clothes and pushed out the door.

'Good morning,' Gildarts greeted from behind his porridge.

Natsu beamed sleepily at him and mumbled something that was supposed to be "morning" and sounded more like "murder". Cana gulped back her warm drink and gave him a nod over her mug.

Gildarts pushed a small box from the edge of the table to the centre and gestured for Natsu to open it. The groggy boy accepted and flipped up the metal latch, flipping open the wooden lid.

He brought out the small glass key with care, holding it up to the light.

It was rather heavy for such a small object, and the flat of the key was carved with a small circle that lead off to a loop up and around.

'The Queen's, before she passed away,' Gildarts clarified. 'The King needs it sent to Clover.'

He set the key back down in the box and closed the lid. 'But Clover's miles away.'

'Exactly,' Cana grinned over her drink, 'The sort of job a young, fit boy could do easily.'

Realisation crossed Natsu's face. 'You're kidding. No way!'

Gildarts let out a chuckle and Cana smirked. 'Why not? It should be an honour to carry the Queen's possessions to such a place as Clover.'

'That's a week's journey there and back!'

'Cana and I packed some rations for you. Think of it as an adventure.'

Natsu pouted and sunk into the dining room chair. 'Some adventure.'

'Come on, hot head, it's just trip into the forest,' Cana teased. 'You scared of the guards?'

'No!'

Gildarts sat back in thought. 'They would be rather harsh if they caught you beyond Magnolia's borders without accompaniment...but we can't risk trusting anyone else with the Queen's possessions.'

The brunette girl took a swig of cider. 'So you have every right to be scared.'

'Shut up!' Natsu growled. 'I ain't doing it!'

 **...**

'Stupid Gildarts,' he muttered under his breath childishly, pushing twigs out from his face. 'Stupid Cana.'

His boots crunched against the fresh autumn leaves scattered around and his socks felt damp. Being usually surrounded by the warmth and smokey atmosphere of the forge, the moist, spongey air of the forest was unwelcome to say the very least. He didn't much care for the slugs trailing across the soggy branches, and he certainly didn't trust the suspicious looking mushrooms dotted colourfully around, the mere sight of which gave him a headache.

He twisted to avoid another protruding stick covered with an almost slime like moss and stumbled across the foot of a log. Cursing under his breath, he righted himself quickly, pulling his vest back into place as he straightened. He glanced down at the offending log with an accusing frown.

The ground under the log was beginning to tremble, a steady shake rocking the log back and forth, back and fourth. The leaves above it swayed and shifted, the grass disturbed and the shrubs in disarray.

He listened carefully, his sensitive ears picking up subtle noises that weren't natural. It sounded like two dozen horses, perhaps three. Barking orders accompanied them, Royal guards ordering flanks left and right. Natsu's heart struck suddenly against his rib cage and he bolted through the undergrowth.

Ignoring the twigs that grabbed at him from all angles and inventing a new form of running that completely ignored the basic rule of balance, Natsu ducked and weaved and dodged, his chest heavy. Should he be caught this far North of the Kingdom without guard supervision, he would be punished. Penalties in Magnolia were among the harshest is Fiore; disobedience could lead to loss of livelihood or even life itself if you had little regard for rules.

Adrenaline sped him up, the warmth he felt from running fuelling him rather than slowing him down. He trampled through the thicket while he pulled brambles and blackberries from his scarf, beginning to run on automatic, ignoring his surroundings. His foot caught a sudden drop, pitching him over the edge, his body crashing down onto the slope and thrashing wildly in the prickles and spikes threatening to poke out his eyes as he rolled. The impact of the ground knocked the air from his lungs. He gasped for oxygen and flailed, grabbing for a hand hold on the steep incline, smashing through bushes, cutting his arms and legs on plant stingers. Pain hissed through his hand as he grabbed at a rock. His hair fell into his eyes as the ground threw him upwards again and he rolled flat onto a gravel surface, slowing and eventually coming to a stop staring up at the sky through the cracked clouds.

'Nailed it,' he wheezed, coughing lightly and slumping his head down onto the ground.

After a few moment of gathering himself, Natsu managed to roll onto his side and steady himself on his left palm to sit up. Pain sizzled through the right one and he bit his tongue in distraction.

Glancing around, he appeared to be on a gravel road; the hill he had been practically torn apart on rose behind him, in front of him a sizeably smaller drop into more forest. Over the top of the forest below him he saw mountains glowing blue in the distance, valleys cutting across them, dotted every now and again with livestock.

Natsu had never seen such a view in his life, not even from inside the palace walls, which just looked out over the city. The path he sat on cut into the side of one of the mountains, it seemed. It was a wonder he had never heard of it; he knew Magnolia folk had never been explorers, but he would have thought someone would have taken this back path, even just on a small journey.

His eyes still stuck to the view, Natsu picked himself up and brushed off his clothes, running a hand through his hair to release any sticks or stray insects. He seemed to be presentable enough, by some miracle, although his hand stung like mad.

'Damn it,' he hissed through his teeth as he wrapped it in his scarf, the skin sore and weeping.

A small voice in the back of his mind asked how he supposed they were going to get back.

He considered climbing back up the hill, and quickly vetoed to idea, knowing that even for him, that would be stupid.

The only option was down.

Carefully easing his way over to the edge, Natsu pulled the scarf tight around his hand and tied it as a makeshift bandage. He squatted and put his other palm against the edge of the drop, jumping over and aiming his feet downwards, sliding down the hill as if surfing. He stumbled slightly when he reached the bottom, but it was still a much smoother decent than last time.

A thought clicked in Natsu's head and his hand flew to the satchel at his side- the bag was torn, and the clasp's metal was bent, but it seemed to be holding everything in place. He let out a breath of relief.

He looked around; the forest seemed less dense here, and a small twinge of excitement made him crack a smile. He had never been this far down the mountain before- it seemed an adventure, and the thought of anything that broke the monotony of daily life was thrilling.

He gripped his scarf and held it against his injured hand, taking a few steps forward. Warm light spilled in though the tree tops and birds twittered in a way they simply didn't in the city. It was pleasant, and Natsu to a deep breath of thick, sweet air.

The moment was broken when his ears pricked and he jolted around, hearing the rushed footsteps of running. It sounded like a single person, puffing out harried breaths.

Natsu took off again, ignoring his muscle's complaints, to the source of the sound. It was only a few yards away, and he approached it quickly, quieting his footsteps as he grew close.

A small spring lay in a clearing ahead. A cloaked figure, the source of the panting and running, fell down gratefully at its edge, dipping pale hands into the water and taking long sips. Natsu ducked behind a tree, watching it carefully. There was something deliberate about the way it drank, trained and elegant. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

The hood drew back to lie against a trail of golden hair, and his mouth fell open in a gape.

Lucy took a deep breath in and let herself fall back onto the ground. Her eyes were closed, dark red circles underneath them, and her skin was a lighter shade than the day before, but she was still beautiful.

Natsu stepped out from the tree line and she started, hand closing defensively around a key pendant she wore around her neck Natsu had not noticed the first time he had met her. She stared confusedly at him and he blinked at her.

The air was tense for a few seconds until the boy managed, 'Uh, hi?'

'Natsu,' Lucy frowned. 'What are you...?'

His confusion deepened when he realised she remembered his name. 'I was just... running an errand.'

'An errand? This far North?'

'Things didn't exactly go to plan.'

Lucy stood gracefully, pulling her cloak out of the way. She pointed at his hand wrapped in the scarf. 'What happened to your hand?'

Natsu raised it, having momentarily forgotten. Slowly, he said, 'Things didn't go to plan.'

She folded her arms and frowned, but didn't press it. 'Who sent you out here for an errand?'

'The Magnolia blacksmith-'

'Gildarts.'

'...Yeah.'

She peered at him curiously. 'Are you working class?'

'Yeah. Aren't you?' Natsu scrunched up his nose. 'You were in the palace.'

A flush crept up her cheeks and she stammered, 'O-of course I am! I was just confused, that's all. No need to be pushy!'

'I wasn't being-'

'Never mind!' she snapped, suddenly flustered. 'I-it was nice to see you again, Natsu, but I have to be going.'

Natsu was struggling to keep up with her sudden changes of conversation. 'Wait- hey, wait a second-'

Lucy turned and flashed a glare at him. 'What?'

He raised his good hand and pointed at the key strung around her neck. It was crystalline glass, the same as the one he carried in his satchel, and was carved with two waves that were beginning to glow a luminous blue.

She glanced down and jumped, hooking her finger around the chain and holding it up. The glowing intensified as it grew closer to Natsu.

Lucy's eyes trailed down to his satchel, and she pointed wordlessly at it. He looked down and saw a golden glow shine from the broken cracks in the leather. He lifted the flap and dug out the wooden box containing the key, opening it carefully.

The symbol on it glowed yellow.

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at it, letting her own key fall from her fingers as she reached for the new one.

The whoosh of air caught Natsu's hypersensitive ears and he shoved the girl backwards, a crossbow arrow impaling the trunk of a tree a few feet from where she had been standing.

Natsu snapped the box shut and threw it back into his satchel.

'Guards,' he barked at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as he pushed out of the clearing. 'Run!'


	3. Ch 3- A Walk In the Woods

**Hello all!**

 **Nice day for a filler chapter, don't cha think?**

 **I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it needed to be done. I know the story is slowing down dramatically, but I promise things will speed up soon. I have ideas in mind, so please justbare with a few filler chapters while I set things up. And for anyone wondering, yes, the other characters will be showing up soon. Everything will be explained. Please just stick with a few crappy chapters for a while.**

 **Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and lovely reviews. I promise things will pick up soon.**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

Lucy's breath left her in ragged gasps.

Unused to running so far so quickly, she had already tired; only the adrenaline pounding through her veins kept her from stumbling into the boy in front of her.

Natsu, she reminded herself. His name is Natsu.

She didn't think he knew who she was, and she did not feel the slightest inclination to tell him. Curious as he was, he would no doubt question her motives to being out here, and that could only bring more trouble than she needed.

The sound of horses behind her spurred her on. Natsu dragged her in zigzags through the trees, a pattern to lose the steadily approaching guards. She couldn't hep but wonder how many times he had needed to use this skill.

She by no means wanted a repeat of Jellal.

She shook her head clear of the thought.

'I think we're losing them,' Natsu puffed, ducking under a branch that hit Lucy square in the face. 'They're not as close, anyway.'

'So what do we do now?' Lucy picked a grub from her hair in distaste.

Natsu slowed his pace, still gripping her hand tightly. 'I don't know. I don't know where we are anymore.'

Lucy's shoulders slumped. 'Great. Just perfect.'

Her hands went to the key strung delicately around her throat and she ran her finger across the wave pattern. She felt the familiar bumps on the surface of the symbol; the position of the stars in the constellation Aquarius. She took a deep breath.

'I, uh,' she tried slowly, stepping over a log, 'I'm...I'm sorry for snapping at you before.'

Natsu's nose scrunched up and he glanced back at her in question.

'I didn't mean to sound unfriendly,' Lucy stumbled over the words. 'Thank you...I think you saved my life.'

She didn't know what she expected; grand show of the pride from the boy, perhaps demands for a reward- it had happened before. Instead, Natsu simply shrugged and said, 'Oh, that. No problem.'

Lucy frowned confusedly. '"No problem"?'

'Yeah, don't worry about it.'

'Don't- I would have been dead if it weren't for you.'

'And?'

Lucy stared at his back with raised eyebrows. 'And...that's, that's a big thing.'

Natsu held a branch back for her and she ducked under it. 'Nah, not really. These forests are pretty dangerous. I'm just happy I could help.'

'You've lost me. You don't want a reward or something?'

'Why would I want a reward?'

The blonde raked a curl of hair back behind her shoulder. 'No reason.'

Natsu seemed even more confused than before, but simply dropped her hand to pull away a patch of thick brambles for her to walk through. 'Um, so...those keys.'

Lucy bit her lip as they came into a clearing with a thick wreckage of a cottage; mud brick lay in shattered piles and mouldy straw sat in heaps. It was not uncommon to find these in various parts of the woods, the remains of old magic Guild halls before they were banned by Lucy's father on account of "corruption". There were rumours of one that still existed, on the outer borders of Fiore, one too powerful to find, filled with people who didn't want to be found.

They called it Fairy Tail, and it was Lucy's next destination.

Natsu sat down on a lump of rotten wood and Lucy sat down carefully next to him, tugging the key out of her dress and slipping the chain over her head. She cradled the still gently glowing key in her palm as Natsu brought out the other.

The glowing brightened as the two keys were laid against one another. She ran a finger over his key's symbol and felt the small bumps.

'Leo the Lion. Where did you get that?' she asked, glancing up to him then down to the keys.

'It was the Queen of Fiore's before she passed.' He looked at her for a moment, then said, 'I guess we never really introduced ourselves properly, huh? I'm Natsu Dragneel. I live with the Magnolian palace blacksmith Gildarts and his daughter Cana. I'm training to be a knight three times a week. Gildarts gave me this key yesterday. He told me her Majesty had entrusted it to him. I'm trying to get it to Clover. Except now I'm lost, with barely any food left, and no idea where I'm supposed to go now. You?'

She looked down at her lap. 'Lucy Heart- cross. Lucy Heartcross. I'm serving staff for the Princess, I work with Cana. The Queen knew my mother very well. The key was a parting gift.'

'Parting gift?'

Lucy nodded. 'I'm running away.'

The boy paused a minute, before changing the subject. 'So, serving staff, huh? You ever get out much?'

'My father never liked me wandering off on my own.'

'You're out here with no experience, by yourself?'

'I assure you, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself.'

'Alright.' Natsu stood. 'Stand up.'

Lucy did as she was told, and rose to face him. With one quick swipe of his foot, Natsu knocked her legs out from underneath her and she fell backwards onto the ground with a yell of confusion.

Natsu looked genuinely concerned for a second, glancing over her, before bursting out into laughter. 'Holy Mavis, you should have seen your face!'

Lucy blew a strand of hair from her face. 'That wasn't funny!'

His laughter grew louder, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

Growling, the Royal Princess stood and pushed him over, watching him flail a moment before falling to a heap on the ground.

Lucy couldn't help a small giggle that arose at his betrayed expression, and his expression grew to a grin.

'Okay,' he held his hands up in surrender, chuckling, 'Maybe I was wrong.'

Lucy flashed him a proud smile.

Natsu slowly realised that there was something he recognised about her eyes.

 **...**

The overcast sky darkened quickly as the two travelled what they assumed was West. Lucy stuck close to the pinkette; his natural body heat seemed to warm her from head to toe, an unnatural warmth she found oddly comforting, given that they had only met two days prior. The wind whipped her hair up and she drew her cloak up.

The two had decided to search for any landmarks they recognised and then split up, but Lucy had to admit that having another person walking with her was nice. At the palace she was always with company; often it had annoyed her, but now that she was on her own, it terrified her. She was by no means dependant- the servants had complained enough about that- but she felt a pang of fear when she thought about finding Fairy Tail by herself.

Fairy Tail. If the rumours were true, it was a secluded safe haven for Mages. Lucy had been training while her mother had been alive, but once she had died...Lucy hadn't seen those keys since she was young.

Until Natsu.

The sun had just fallen over the crest of the trees when the boy occupying her thoughts stopped suddenly, Lucy slamming into his back as they walked through a carved out path they had found half an hour before.

'Ow!' She exclaimed, 'What did you do that for?'

'We should eat,' Natsu turned around and opened his satchel, fishing out a small white cube and holding it in has palm.

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

'It's Hydromeal,' he explained, bringing his water bottle out with his other hand and sitting down in the middle of the path. Lucy folded her legs gracefully under her and sat opposite him. 'You just and water, and...'

He poured water from the bottle over his hand and the Hydromeal, and the small cube began to grow larger. The colour turned a crispy brown and the surface ran smooth, until sitting his the palm of his hand was a roll of steaming bread.

Lucy watched in fascination as he broke it apart and a cloud of sweet smelling steam rose into the air. He handed half to her. It was warm in her hands and she took a bite, almost swooning at the beautiful crust.

'How did you do this?' She asked as she stuffed more bread in her mouth.

'Uh,' Natsu swallowed a chunk of his roll, 'It's...it's magic.'

Lucy choked on her mouthful.

'I know, I know, banned years ago. But Gildarts still had some in the pantry from years ago, and I needed something to take. The trip to Clover could take weeks from here. Wherever "here" is.'

Swallowing with some difficulty, Lucy set down the remains of her roll in her lap and raised the water bottle he offered her to her lips. 'Who are you taking the key to?'

'I dunno. Some dude named Hades.'

For the second time in one minute, Lucy choked.

Natsu took the bottle from her and hit her gently on the back as she coughed. 'You know him?'

'Hades? You can't give it to him!'

'Why not? It was an order from the King.'

'Yes, well, sometimes the King is wrong!'

'Are you okay, Luce?'

Lucy cut her rant short to blink at the nickname, but didn't bother to correct him. 'You can't give it to Hades. You just can't.'

He folded his arms. 'Why not?'

'Hades went off the rails years ago. Everyone knows that.'

'Don't be stupid, Luce, the King wouldn't have-'

'Yes, he would have. Just- trust me. He really would have. You can't give it to him.'

'Well, if not him, who then?'

Lucy hesitated. 'I could take it.'

'...you.'

'No, hear me out. I have one of the keys. I know how to keep them safe. I know the Queen would want it to be with someone she loved.'

Natsu hesitated. 'I don't think I can do that.'

Lucy sighed. 'Fine. But not to Hades.'

'Alright, alright. I'm gonna trust you, Lucy Heartcross.'

'Pleasure doing business with you, Natsu Dragneel.'


	4. Ch 4- Mosaic

**Hello all!**

 **Uh, I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?  
**

 **Basically, I had some major mental health stuff to deal with over the last few months, and a lot of problems to deal with. I can't really make excuses but basically crap went _down._ Anyway, here I am with a new chapter, expect them hopefully more frequently. If truth be told this probably wouldn't have been up for a while, but I rushed the ending majorly. I'm not happy with the end but it's setting up something bigger for later. Also, it's 11 at night on a Saturday in Australia and one if my friends is sitting over my shoulder yelling 'upDATE', so that was motivation enough for now.**

 **Thank you for sticking with me through my problems, even if you didn't know about them. Writing is a great way to get out your emotions, but damn is it hard.**

 **I pinky promise that I'll update more, but for now, I'm going to bed.**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

Chapter 4- Mosaic

The sight of the ragged, tall, frankly terrifying hulk of a man stooping to fit through the tiny door of the palace libraries to greet the even tinier librarian was now wonted and perhaps even welcome among the residents that spent their days in there.

At first it could be said that Gajeel Redfox was something of a beast; none of them knew what he was doing in a place of learning, especially not one as populated as that. It soon became apparent, however, that his frequent visits were to the palace librarian, Levy, a girl small in stature but very glad to have what company he brought her.

The library was quiet this evening, the sun setting and casting a shimmering glow through the stained glass windows that faced the West wall out over the gardens. A kaleidoscope of colours landed on the small girl and her companion, who was now distracted by the mirage of pinks falling on her usually lapis hair.

She was busy leafing through a heavy tomb entitled _Medicinal Herbs; Potent, Puissant and Poisonous_ while periodically flicking her eyes towards the massive clock suspended above the multicoloured glass.

'So,' she turned a page. 'The Wolfsbane, in this case Aconitum Napellus, secretes the poison alkaloid pseudaconitine, which is usually deadly to humans. However the Golden Plusia moth usually hosts there, so Wendy found a way to identify the toxins associated with the poison and lace the mixture with an additive that allows the human stomach to see this poison as harmless waste and dispose of it in the lysosomes of the animal cells in the human body. Usually it's in there to give the body something to combat, like a small virus, to build up its tolerance after surgery. Once Wendy _has_ the tincture she removes the Jasmine and uses it as an oil to return elasticity to the skin lost during the surgery and as an aromatherapy tool to help with the patient's sleep. And I think, given that blue roses are a naturally genetic impossibility, Wendy was lying about them.'

Her eyes flew back up to the clock, as if while she was reading and explaining the process of the medicine Makarov made to give to Wendy, it had somehow grown legs and run away just to spite her.

Gajeel made a "tsk" noise in the back of his throat and she turned her hickory brown eyes towards him, raising an eyebrow. 'Something to share?'

The gruff man folded his arms. 'Nothin'.'

Her stare bore into him.

'Fine, fine. You keep checking the clock, shorty, staring at it ain't bringing her back.'

Sharply, the book was slammed closed between the girl's hands and she leaned back against the bookshelf they sat in front of. 'I know, I know. I just- I wish they would let me into the search party. I could have helped. I hate waiting around like this!'

'Careful, shrimp.' His own crimson eyes stared through the brightly lit glass distractedly. 'That's a lot of anger for such a small body.'

Levy humphed. 'You have a lot of nerve, Redfox.'

His broad shoulders stretched back across the books behind him. 'Look, the way I see it, you won't be much help to them anyway. You ain't trained, you can't ride a horse- let's be fair, any battle armour would crush you-'

'Hey!'

'-so just hang tight until they find her and the Pinkette Prick.'

At this, Levy downcast her eyes. 'It's hard to really grasp the fact that both of them just... disappeared at the same time. Cana won't even talk about it, not to me, not Erza, not anyone. She just- closed up.'

Gajeel sighed a deep, reverberating sigh. 'Don't think about it so much. When is he not getting himself into a crapload of trouble?'

'I guess. Still...'

Her voice trailed off, and Gajeel rolled his eyes. Deep down, he knew her fears were justified and if he was honest, he was worried too- that pink haired idiot was the only one that treated him like a equal when he first moved to Magnolia, not just in strength, but as a person. They didn't get along, but family often didn't.

He also was well aware of what the Princess meant to Levy and what Levy meant to her; always gossiping with each other, reading to each other, teasing each other about boys (this subject he avoided if it ever came up against Levy). It was understandable for her to be upset. Still, he had a role to play- stoic best friend. He had to pull her together some how.

'Fine,' he growled, getting to his feet and hauling her up after him, 'If you're that damn paranoid, shrimp, I'll take you to Erza.'

Levy scrambled to put the book back in its place before Gajeel dragged her away.

..

Erza, for her part, was feeling her dread mount with every step she took down the candle lit stairwell.

She held a candelabra tightly in one gloved hand, the other on her sword. She knew she should have brought a few guards, ten at minimum, but this was a piece of her past she preferred to keep separate from her work.

The stairwell was damp and small, made of slimy cobblestones slick with the moisture dripping from the ceiling. Torches hung ensconced in metal framework on the walls cast flickering shadows across her scarlet draped armour. The stairwell ended in a thick wooden door, metal work crossing over its front and ending in five long bolts. She carefully pulled at each one in turn, setting the candelabra down in an alcove carved into the wall beside her head for this very purpose. Her fingers tingles as she pushed open the door.

At first she saw nothing.

Eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, Erza stepped forward into the room, pulling back her shoulders and jutting out her chin.

The cage wall in front of her stretched across the width of the small room, leaving about a metre gap from the door for her to stand in front of it. It had no door, simply row after row of cold metal bars; once you were here, no-one had any intention of letting you leave.

And there he was, curled up in the corner of the room, chains clanking on his wrist and he adjusted his position to look up at her.

'Erza,' he said evenly, staring straight at her.

The redhead momentarily forgot how to talk, blinking away the panic that pricked at the corner of her eyes. She gave a nod.

The prisoner stretched out his legs and cracked his shoulders against the wall. 'What brings you down here? Not me, I'll warrant.'

'The Princess has gone missing.'

That silenced him.

'What do you mean, missing?'

Erza put a hand on her hip, shifting her weight. 'I _mean_ she's _missing_.'

'She couldn't have just vanished, Scarlet.' He noticed her flinch, but said nothing on it. 'You checked all the guards, all the courtesans?'

'Of course I did. I'm not a fool. None of them were around when she was taken.'

The prisoner leaned back. 'Well, you know Lucy. Maybe she's gone on a brief journey of self discovery.'

The Royal Guard's patience was wearing thin, but she forced herself to stop and consider it. The Princess had never exactly been easy to manage, always running around causing trouble where she went, but she doubted Lucy would ever run from the palace. She was free-spirited, it could be said, but life as a stow-away didn't suit her, and Erza had her assumptions that it was not the sort of thing she could be taught. Perhaps if she-

'Have you ever considered,' the prisoner cut into her thoughts, 'That it might have something to do with her mother?'

Her thoughts were silenced, new ones drifting in about the old Queen.

'You know Lucy was hurt when she died. Layla's keys were scattered. What more would a girl like Lucy need as motivation?'

Erza felt weak. It was possible.

'Besides, she's headstrong. She was practically being sold off, Scarlet, she was scared.'

Her armour clinked against the wall as she reached out to steady herself, her breath puffing out in a cloud. 'Lucy...'

The prisoner shifted to his knees and cocked his head to the side. 'Erza, you- look, I know her. I could find her. You know I could.'

Her hand shot back from the wall as if she'd been shocked. 'Out of the question.'

'Erza-'

A loud clinking startled her, and the door flew further open by her back. 'Mistress Erza, someone's demanding to see you-'

The knight who had crashed down the stairs stumbled over himself as he froze, his eyes widening to the size of Erza's fist as he noticed the prisoner staring up at him.

She didn't look away from the man on the floor. 'Thank you, Warren. I'll be with you in a moment.'

He faltered, before turning and bolting back up the way he'd come.

...

Natsu groaned and rolled over, the back of his head crunching unpleasantly into the gravel.

Peeling one eye open, he scrunched up his nose at the clear, star-filled sky that he was greeted with above him. His eyes burned and watered from the cold. He reached to claw his scarf up to wipe them.

Dimly, he realised his scarf was missing.

He rolled back over and fell into sleep again.

It was just as a cloud passed back across the moon that Natsu sat up and almost screamed.

Scrambling to his feet, his hand raked across his neck and around him, searching to meet with the soft material of the scarf he cherished. He spun in circles, his head whipping around.

A soft exhale came from behind him, making his skin go cold and his ears prick up. He had almost forgotten about the blonde lying across the gravel.

A curse that would have made Cana blush escaped his lips.

Only met with dark forest, he ran his hand through his hair and let out a frustrated growl. He was sure, he was sure that he'd had it on. He never even took it off.

He was about to kneel down and shaky Lucy awake to demand his scarf back- she was the only other person who could have taken it, right?!- before a light tap hit the back of his head. He let out a small groan and flung around, trying to see what it had been.

A bright light flooded his vision, bursting behind his eyes.


	5. Ch 5- Creatures of Light

**Hello all!**

 **Who doesn't love sort-of-but-not-really-consistent-updating?**

 **This is the chapter when things start to pick up. It'll all come together eventually, I promise, it'll make sense. For now, enjoy Lucy being awesome and Natsu (still) being naive.**

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews, follows and favourites. Those of you who write your own stories I want you to know that I read them and they're pretty damn awesome!**

 **See you guys in the next chapter!**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

 **...**

Chapter 5- Creatures of Light

A flash of light turned the blackness of Lucy's eyelids to orange, her mind slowly beginning to wake under the new heat on her skin. She screwed up her nose and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She did _not_ feel like waking up.

The vision her mind produced to excuse the new light was of her, lying comfortably on her goose-downed pillow in her four poster bed, dressed in her usual silken nightclothes, a feathered blanket between her and the morning chill. A steaming mug of Gastu, Magnolia's favourite drink- a mixture of honey and lavender brewed into a thick, sweet tea- sat on her bedside table. The light on her face was the sun streaming in though the window overlooking the city, a small pane of glass with a frosted border Lucy was rather fond of. The light hit her tasselled blonde hair, messy and glossy from tossing around in her sleep. She sighed deeply, reading herself for another day of royal duties, and rolled over.

The dream shattered as her head crunched into the gravel, and her eyes cracked open.

The sky was still coloured inky blue, stars dotted around like fireflies. The back of her mind rattled off the names of each constellation she could see- an old habit that was dying exceedingly hard. Above her she saw the blanket of night sky and trees lit up by something just beyond her peripheral vision. She lifted her head a small way and pulled herself up until she was sitting, her cloak falling off her shoulders at odd angles and her boots full of stones. She turned towards the source of light, putting her arm up to shield her eyes.

A light chattering sound surrounded an apple sized orb of light floating in the middle of the path. The white shine emanated off a thin film that clung to the orb itself like a second skin. Lucy peered at it closer, getting to her feet, pulling her cloak up after her. A shadow was curled up inside the orb.

An accelerated heart beat thudded through her rib cage as, suddenly, the orb began to tremble.

She took a step back and reached around her neck to clutch at the key.

'Natsu?' Her voice was high and squeaky from disuse over hours of sleep, remembering the pink haired boy should have been sleeping next to her. 'What-'

A shiver forced its way up her spine as her words fell upon deathly silence and she saw his satchel, broken and abandoned, on the gravel path.

Where ever Natsu was, he wasn't with her.

Her eyes lay fixed on the orb and her muscles tightened. She narrowed her eyes at it, as if warning it to stop moving or face the consequences. Though she had no idea what on Earthland those consequences would be.

The film of the orb was damp and beginning to flake away, luminescent leaves fluttering to the gravel with a peace that felt out of place with the panic Lucy felt. The questions she couldn't force through her mouth filled up her head. _What is this thing? What's happening? Where's Natsu? What do I do? What-_

A loud crack shattered the surface of the smooth orb.

In an instant, Lucy had yanked the chain from around her neck and let it dangle through her fingers as they clutched the key. The orb shook in the air slightly as a hairline fracture ran its way across the outside. It jerked as if it was being hit from the inside. The shell splintered around the cracks and blew apart. Lucy threw up her cloak to protect herself from the flying shards, doubt and confusion reeking havoc in her head as pieces landed all around her.

She lifted her eyes to meet the air where the orb had been, and screamed.

 **...**

Natsu shuddered, twisted, fell through the air, hit the ground rolling, and threw up into his mouth.

His stomach convulsed violently as his hands felt soft grass. He pushed himself onto his knees and retched. The previous night's dinner was very quickly becoming a regret. His head spun and his vision blackened for a moment.

He whispered to himself in almost a craze, trying to make sense of what was happening. 'Lucy...sleep...light. Orb? Orb with light...flash...flash of light, can't see, can't breathe...holy Mavis, I can't breathe...'

The last thing to cross his mind had been his scarf, his desperate search for it. A bright light had stung his eyes and suddenly he felt like he was being tossed under a galloping horse. Motion sickness rendered him ready to curl up and never move again.

Rolling over to his back, he let his breathing even out and his head stop throbbing. His limbs were heavy but still lifted him to stand unsteadily up, his confusion mounting with every glance around.

Where he was was certainly nowhere near Magnolia; instead of rough pine woods with sickly looking mushrooms and a composting leaf-layered floor, he found himself in a shady forest of lush, glowing wisteria vines curling around beech and redwood trees. Having what little education he had, Natsu knew that this combination of tree should be impossible; they would strangle and kill one another- yet here he was, standing under a canopy of bright purple and green foliage, soft green grass under his feet. The air was sweet and clean, and carried no scent of rotting wood like even the clearest mountain air of Magnolia's surrounding areas did. His inhuman hearing detected running water somewhere close, as well as the chiming of soft bells that seemed to come from everywhere.

He couldn't see the sky from where he stood, his vision impaired by the ceiling of flowers. It was as if a blanket had been placed over the entire forest; as far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but beautiful twisting trunks and bursting colour.

Though the bells rung softly through the air, Natsu couldn't feel the presence of another living soul. Usually the heartbeat of a frog or a beetle's scurrying footsteps let him know that he was in an area marked with life. But the water and bells were all that he could hear.

He was completely, absolutely, irrevocably alone.

He swallowed the lump his throat and took a deep breath. His head was run through with questions- he couldn't think. Slowly he closed his eyes and made a list in order of importance.

1\. Find my scarf.

2\. Find a way out.

3\. Find the Queen's Key.

4\. Find Lucy.

He thought for a moment, and switched the last two around.

The silence made him fidget with discomfort. The sooner he was out, the better.

He took a hesitant step forward, watching the grass spring back after his foot. The whole place seemed so...perfect. It was disconcerting.

The bell suddenly grew louder, and Natsu tensed and froze.

There was nothing particularly threatening about this bell- just that it seemed to grow louder on its own. Natsu clenched his fists and looked around, his breathe hitching in his throat.

At the base of a tree, a small bell fell back and forth in the air. Gripping this bell was an even smaller arm, about the size of Natsu's little finger, and soon a tiny head popped out, topped with a tuft of wispy blonde hair. The features of the tiny creature were proportioned and perfect, with the exception of its eyes, pure black beads that stared at Natsu and crinkled with a smile

As he watched, more heads began appearing. Behind flowers hanging from the vines, under pebbles, from knots and holes in the trees. The creatures were varying in size but never seemed to be bigger than a small cat, with different hair colours, skin tones, clothes and features. The only thing that remained the same was their pure black eyes, the gossamer wings that fell at their backs, and that each and every single one seemed to be the most perfect thing that Natsu had ever seen in his life.

The one with the bell handed it to another creature with long orange hair and freckles the size of a pin head. She spread her wings and dived through the air towards Natsu. He was about to duck when she pulled her wings back and hovered in the air at his face, peering at him.

She opened her mouth and words that Natsu did not understand floated to his ears, her voice sugary and clear. She seemed to be speaking in tongues, and matched him in confusion when he did not answer her back.

She gestured to another creature, up to her waist with umber skin and silky black hair, and the other creature flew up to meet her.

'Mael?' She pointed to Natsu.

The other creature shook her head. 'Trite mael.'

Natsu out his hands out in front of him. 'U-uh- who-'

The creature held up her hand to shush him, and pointed to herself. 'Mil.'

He confusion deepened. 'I don't understand-'

'Mil!' Her hand pointed to her several more times. 'Mil, Mil!'

Realisation dawned on Natsu. 'Your name. Your name is Mil?'

The creature threw her hands up happily and nodded, jittering with excitement. She began to gesture at the other creatures urgently. 'Fae! Fae!'

'Fae? Like, fairies? You guys are fairies?'

Her hair bobbed as she nodded.

Natsu relaxed suddenly. He had heard of fairies; creatures of myth and legend among the old magic Guilds. It was said that fairies were at the root of all magic, that they were the life force of nature, guardians of Earthland. It had also been theorised that one of the greatest wizards of all time, Mavis Vermillion, had been a fairy.

The enthusiasm on the small fae's face spread to the others as the realised he understood them, what they were. Several creatures even hugged one another.

Mil flew down and grabbed his wrist with both of her hands, her fingers not meeting around what, to her, was the size of a round door. When she tugged, however, Natsu fell forward, her strength seeming to trump her size many times over.

He allowed her to drag him away, confused but willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the small excited fairy. The other Fae huddled together and whispered the language Natsu couldn't understand to each other before following him and Mil away.


	6. Ch 6- The Lament of a Criminal

**A/N yo**

 **Hi! Six months, huh?**

 **I actually thought about abandoning this for a while, but I got an emergency writer's pack for Christmas and low and behold, this was an emergency I could use them for. I've gotta be honest, I actually had a different direction for this story to go, but I just let myself free write and thought it was a good idea.**

 **...It wasn't, as it turns out, because without a plan, inspiration runs out quickly.**

 **So please let me know whether you think this is actually worth continuing, if you like the road this is going down, or whether I should re-write from chapter 3 onward. Please leave a review with your thoughts, and PM me! I love talking to people who share my interests and my passion for writing. And check my bio if you wanna see what else I'm thinking of posting. If you like Welcome To Night Vale I might have a thing or two up soon.**

 **Please review what you think of the story, whether I should rewrite and continue, your feedback and love of writing is what keeps me going, really.**

 **Until next time, whenever that shall be,**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

The prisoner watched the guard's retreating back as she turned away and he felt a stab of pain through his chest.

His head twisted to peer around his cell, the dingy, dirty place he had called home for three years. His eyes traveled to the small slot under the bars where his meals were pushed through on trays every night. The cell was old, as least as old as the palace itself, and despite the magic coating the bars, he could easily have escaped in an instant if he wanted to.

It would be easy. He would wait for the guard- what was his name, Romeo?- to deliver the food. He would bend down near the slot and hold out his hands and wait for the binding handcuffs to be taken off. He would hold his hands through the slot to escape the bars of the cage and cast Beam on the guard. He could force him to open the cage. Or just blow it apart from the outside. He would walk up the staircase and nobody would dare stop him. Nobody would lift a finger. He would go right on his way to the Guard that had thrown him in that cell to rot and he would destroy her in an instant. He would wipe her from existence and the entire Kingdom would be at his mercy.

But he didn't, and he wouldn't.

They could leave him in there for the rest of eternity and he wouldn't even try.

He didn't want power, or revenge, or some silly ideal of success that came from the suffering of others. He deserved to rot in the cage. He deserved not to see the one he longed to see all day everyday, the only one who made him feel even remotely better about his miserable existence, the one he loved and who he was certain loved him. He deserved to sit in that same cage, eat the same foods, feel the same pulsing magic energy run through his veins and hate every drop of it for as long as he lived. He wouldn't resist it. Wouldn't fight. He didn't see the point. It wouldn't undo what he had done.

Every now and then, he heard news from the city. The small blue haired girl, the librarian, snuck down and slipped him reports from the town that she had written weekly. He could always see a flicker of fear cross her face for a split second, but she determinedly handed it to him, along with a pocket of chestnut candy he had heard she gave to all the prisoners she visited. He couldn't understand why she would be so kind, especially at the cost of her own life, until he asked her.

He had mumbled the question as he inspected the hard sweets she had held out for him the third time she had come. Her brows knit together for a moment, before she gave a light hearted shrug and sat back on her heels as he popped a sweet into his mouth. 'I think everyone deserves a bit of kindness. I've learned a lot the past few weeks about forgiveness.'

Her cheeks heated up at this, but she pressed on. 'And besides, the Princess gives me the keys and helps me avoid the guards. It's really because of her that I can do any of this at all.'

At that, the prisoner cocked his head to the side and stared at her in confusion. '...Lucy?'

Levy nodded. 'She asked that I write not only news from the town, but updates from the palace for you. And I couldn't exactly afford all these candies on my wage.'

He became painfully aware of the sweetness running down his throat and said nothing.

Levy withdrew her hand once all the sweets had been exchanged. 'I wrote down a few personal remarks on the news, I hope you don't mind.'

The prisoner shook his head and thanked her quietly, watching her hop back up the stairwell, waiting for the sound of the door slamming closed at the top before he glaced at her notes.

 _The King's outrule of magic, though official since three years prior, has been written into the Magnolia King's official legislation. There is now an official law banning the use of magic and all of its properties within the Magnolia border. All Mages are now required to register themselves and wear magic restricting clothing at all times when within the city. In in other news, wheat and wheat by-products have now been considered deadly and have been banned from the market places and all homes._

This prisoner's eyes scanned the rest of the page until he found something different. _Recently, Magnolia was targeted by an illegal magic Guild, Phantom Lord, from the outer Fiore areas. The mages were interested in the Princess Lucy Heartfilia as a ransom subject, and to get to her, one of the members- known previously as Black Steel Redfox- lead an attack on the palace librarian and her two bodyguards. Shortly after this attack, the guild was captured and sent before a court. Unfortunately, most escaped the palace cells during the night, leaving two members, Black Steel Redfox and a lady known as the Rain Woman, to be brought to the King. During the proceedings, the royal apprentice, Natsu Dragneel, spoke out against the damnation of Black Steel, whom he had personally fought, and the Rain Woman. Black Steel was offered help finding a job by the librarian whom he had attacked and the Rain Woman has found residence staying with Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Vastia of the market place._

The prisoner had cracked a half smile. She had learned a thing or two about forgiveness indeed.

Now, however, the prisoner looked around the empty cell, the papers she had written for him confiscated by the new guard that had been called in to replace Romeo while he had joined a search party. Erza had explained the search parties right before she turned and followed Warren, leaving him in the knowledge that something was being done to find the Princess. At least he had that.

And that brought him here.

Wishing she would turn back around and reassure him just that little bit more.

It was the Princess that had insisted mercy be put upon him. It was the Princess that sent Levy down every week with her news and her food. It was the Princess that asked the kindest guards and the best food the King would allow a criminal be brought to him. Even after he hurt her, had hurt everyone.

He deserved to rot.

But he watched Erza Scarlet walk away again and his heart hurt even though he knew he deserved it.

And so Jellal Fernandez put his hand back down onto the concrete and pretended to sleep.


	7. Ch 7- How Lucky We Are To Be Alive

**Quick A/N**

 **I'm back! If you can believe it. Honestly I didn't think I would continue, but my inspiration came from- wait for it- a SasuSaku fic. It was so good I read it in a few hours, and afterwards I just wanted to write again. I've spent the last 7 hours writing this thing. Extra long chapter! Whoo! I finally have a direction. I know what I want from this story now. Big weight off my shoulders, I can tell you- I can't promise frequent updates but I can promise that I'll continue.**

 **Enjoy, and a thank you to wildkat0122 who reviewed chapter 6 and kept me on this plot line. I appreciate it more than I can say!**

 **Chapter Title Reference- The Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton: An American Musical**

 ***TRIGGER WARNING- DESCRIPTION OF BLOOD/WOUNDS (small)***

 **Until next time,**

 **~AndsotheTardisdisappeared**

 **Chapter 7- How Lucky We Are To Be Alive Right Now**

The thing about being awake in the early morning is that you never know exactly where you are. Light dances above your eyelids, always just out of reach. Rarely do you feel well-rested. You drag yourself from the sheets unwillingly, your chest heavy where you stand, your eyes fighting against themselves to crack open as you rake in air to your lungs, no longer working on automatic to keep you alive in the night. Your limbs are drooped and your back feels stiff, like steel rods have bent and broken in your spine. Your shoulders strain with the effort of inhaling. Never does one wake up and feel their best.

The Princess of Fiore felt no different as she felt that same steel crunch with the movement of rolling to her side. There was no light floating above her, and her skin pricked with the cold needles that the wind produced, but her bones felt as jagged and sharp as they ever had in the morning. She felt smooth stone under her fingertips instead of bedsheets, and her breathing was hitched to a stop.

She, too, had no idea exactly where she was, and perhaps was in no fit state to find out.

What little she could sense in the darkness was coarse rope encircling both wrists and ankles. The rope was tied tight enough to bite through skin and leave a mark and, ever the fuss, despite her compromising position, Lucy lamented that she would have odd rings on her clear skin for weeks. Put out but not distracted, she next noticed that when she shifted her position of cheek pressed against floor something not too far from her face clanked and rattled. The ropes from her wrists leading further into darkness suggested she was tied to something metallic and secure. A tug of her arms proved this correct. She next noticed that the cloak from around her shoulders was missing, baring her cold shoulders to the ground, leaving her in her fitting but awkwardly flaring gown, which from decisions and situations as of late, she was realizing was very poor planning on her part.

She had no shoes on, nor her tights. Her hair still fanned out around her head, knotted and ratty, but there. She had all of her fingers, and all of her toes.

A cold shock went through her and she froze dead in her observations.

Her fingers had tiny pressure points of pain on the pads, and through tired eyes staring at them unblinkingly through the darkness, she could see beads of blood on each one, some streaking down her hand, and black veins spreading outwards from the incision. They were small, like threads knit together in a net, but they thrummed and pulsed under her skin sickeningly. Having noticed them the pain increased tenfold, and tears flooded her eyes under the affliction and confusion she felt.

What was she doing here? She didn't belong here, in some sort of dungeon, bound and stripped of her basic comforts. She had been a fool to think she could make it on her own. A stranger had saved her life more than once- she would be better off in her own cells for committing high treason than she would be surviving out here. Now she had been taken and lay fearful for her very life on the floor of some unknown creature's home, or- she thought with a shudder- feeding room. There was no handsome stranger to bail her out this time. Fiore would have no heirs. The Princess would never return to her charges again.

A whine forced its way out of her throat as she sobbed and cursed herself for the pathetic noises she was making under her crushing thoughts. Weakly, she banged her wrists against the floor in frustration, sending pricks of hurt down her fingers and through her arms. A tear snaked down her temple.

Damn it all, she was Lucy Heartfillia. She knew how to take a man's head off with only a letter opener, she should know how to look after herself- but she couldn't survive a day on her own in the real world.

The first few hours of her independence, she was stumbling blindly through a forest where every tree looked the same. She wondered around for hours for food, cursing her concern with stealing food from the kitchen to opt for foraging. She went off the beaten path, down the side of a mountain, and somehow she was still found- by a practical stranger, no less, who hadn't even been looking for her. Which did not bode well. Indeed, in the minutes that followed, they were chased down and forced to flee in an unknown direction. She could be further from her destination than ever before and she wouldn't even know it. She felt somewhat comfortable in Natsu's presence- and would be lying if she said she hadn't at first romanticised the whole situation, she needed something to distract herself, right?- and had allowed herself to be swept up in the intrigue of the boy and his access to her late mother's key. Then suddenly he was gone. For a split second the back of her mind had told her he had betrayed her, robbed her and run off with her valuables, but all his things were still there. He was just _gone._ There was an unknown orb, and a dark force, and she had pulled her mother's key from around her neck, ready to do whatever she needed to to defend herself. And then suddenly, Natsu wasn't the only one that had just disappeared.

And now she was here.

Ordinary Lucy prided herself on her dexterity and cunning, her bravery and resilience. Once she put her mind to something, nothing could stop her. Obviously, she thought as she lay there, that wasn't the case. Everything she needed was gone- including, as she thought about it, her mother's key, which made her choke out a sob- and she was painfully aware of how alone she was.

And the only thing that came to her mind was; how in the _actual holy Mavis_ had everything gone so _wrong- in 48 hours?_

Under her tears, she managed a bitter giggle.

A chill fell over the room as the scrape of metal sounded suddenly, and Lucy almost suffocated with the force she used to still her sobbing to listen. There were no footsteps, just a dim hum that dug into her ear drums. She screwed up her nose.

She started and lifted her head from the floor when a slice of light lanced across the room. A few metres away there was the outline of a heavy wooden door with a smaller door cut at the bottom, which now swung open. A board of cheese and bread was slid through the smaller opening. Lucy scrambled to her knees, ignoring the pain on her fingers and her head, forgetting momentarily the tears on her face and anger in her chest. She slid across the stone until her arms were straining in their bonds and could go no further. The food sat behind her, her aim not lying the meal, but in bending down to peer out through the split in the door. Her eyes burned at the bright light that the corridor beyond presented. It seemed to be only that; a corridor that lead to somewhere she couldn't see. There was no sign of her attacker, nor the person giving her food. Her nose scrunched up in irritation- she sat back on her stiff knees, shoulders dropping. Her frustration returned full force. A fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes, letting them spill as she glared stonily at the door. Lucy grabbed at the bread on the board behind her and tore at it, somehow managing to chew and sob at the same time.

…

Natsu's next half an hour passed in a blur, the fae leading him en masse to an undisclosed location- undisclosed, of course, because he had no idea what they were saying. Their chittering was unlike any language he had ever come across. What little education he had told him that most languages spoken around Fiore were of Earth Land, but even those he didn't recognise he could decipher with minimal headaches, and gestures and grunts were generally universal. Mil and her company spoke in ways Natsu had never even thought possible, with some words sounding almost human and some being clicking sounds or even low whirs in the back of their throats. He followed them without direction. As dumbfounded and disquieted as he was, at least if they were going to string him up to eat him, they were very confident about it.

...He wasn't quite sure if that thought should have been comforting or not.

Mil made a choking sound and Natsu noticed that the party had stopped at a point where the vines curled around a large rock in the middle of the path. The fae leader pointed to it and nodded. Several other fae pushed the rock from its place, moving it backwards through a tunnel of more rock previously obscured by the vines. As he watched the path be revealed, Natsu felt his chest clench. Unconsciously, he stepped back, pink eyebrows knit together at the thought of going into such a small, confined area. To his knowledge, he only had two fears- motion and the sickness it brought with it- but the dark tunnel made his breathing constrict.

Mil peered at him curiously, tugging on his wrist.

Natsu shook his head, forcing a goofy smile to his face. 'Uh- thank you, b-but I think I can make it out of here myself-'

Mil's smile dropped, and the other fae stopped their work and looked at him, tensing as they understood, somehow, his language and what he was saying.

As silly and happy-go-lucky as Natsu was, he could never be called stupid, and his instincts were always perfect. And his instincts were telling him that if he refused the offer of help at this moment, he had screwed the pooch.

'I- I mean,' he amended quickly, fighting for an excuse among the perpetual clutter that was his brain. 'You- you can let go of my h- my hand now, I'll follow you by my- myself.'

Seemingly satisfied, Mil did as he asked, and Natsu tried to continue breathing as the darkness of the tunnel engulfed him.

…

Happy, while all this was happening, had been crying.

For a straight day and a half, despite frequent and loud protests from those around him.

Magnolia was, on the surface, calm and pleasant as it always had been; the market was still running, the maids and king staff did their jobs and went about their days and no trouble stirred even within the criminal sectors of the bustling kingdom. But those close to the system knew differently. Each were scared and worried and hurt by the sudden disappearance of their friends and family, not least of which the small boy with the wild blue hair that sought comfort in the presence in the somewhat less wild and infinitely more irritated Carla.

Wendy watched from the doorway as Happy wailed into the girl's shoulder and bit her own nails nervously. Gray stood over her shoulder, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded. The two teenagers grimaced as Happy gave out a particularly loud screech, beseeching Carla to tell him why Natsu had left without him. Not having an answer, she tiredly pat him on the back.

'We gotta do something about this,' Gray said, looking down at his smaller companion. 'It's been two days and he's going out of his mind.'

Wendy nodded, pigtails bouncing. 'I just wish we knew why they left.'

'I'm so confused about that. I mean, they didn't even know each other, right? He used to call her "Luigi". If the idiot can't even get her name right, I have no idea how he would have ever run away with her. And with Gildarts not saying anything-'

'-we have no leads,' Wendy finished. 'Nowhere to start.'

'Yeah. Erza's the best of us and she has no idea where to even set up base. We're a mess.'

Wendy looked back at Happy and Carla, then up at Gray. 'How's Juvia?'

'She's been better, I'll give you that. Barely said anything to me this morning. Damn it was uncomfortable, you know how much she talks. This isn't good.'

'I saw Levy crying this morning.'

'You told Redfox?'

'I asked Carla if I should. She said I had a death wish.'

'Carla says that about everything. You take that too seriously.'

Wendy smiled sadly, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. 'I guess so. But if even Levy's upset, I don't know what we're going to do, Gray.'

'I wish I had an answer, kid.' the boy looked down at the crying boy. 'I really do.'

…

Nerves completely shot, Natsu chuckled nervously as he was lead through the twisted paths by the fae. He had to admit, it wasn't as bad as previously thought; sections of wall had been chipped away and now held some kind of strange flower that cast a warm golden light over the tunnel, eve when the boulder was rolled back into place behind them. It wasn't damp or cold, and as he looked closer, Natsu began to notice veins of semi-precious stone run along the rock, shimmering in the light. The floor was coated in the purple flowers of the vines and occasionally on the path's ground there lay bowls filled to the brim with glazed pebbles in darks purples and reds. It wasn't stifling or humid, nor chilled, a relief to the boy newly relieved of his scarf, and was almost peaceful. Despite this, his hair stood on end, and he was trying his hardest to keep his breathing steady.

Mil had no such qualms, and flew along with her previous agitation untraceable. Natsu supposed he had just been rude. After all, it must be terrible manners to refuse help from a fairy, especially ones as civilised as these. He noted that away for future use.

'Klimae,' Mil barked suddenly, and the ground swayed to a halt in front of yet another boulder, which the fae once again rolled forward. As they did this, light poured over Natsu, a soft orange glow, and he found himself staring out into what seemed like the giant foyer of a palace.

Natsu's heart picked up in sudden childish excitement and a wide grin spread across his face. The place was _huge-_ twice the size of Magnolia's entrance hall, perhaps more. Stairs curled up the sides of the room, held up by white marble pillars inlaid with the same precious stone threads as the tunnel. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, with the illuminating flowers from the corridor shining down at him. Instead of the foreboding he felt in the tunnel, Natsu felt elated, and half ready to bounce off the walls around him. The cloud of fae parted as he stepped further forward, drinking in the lavishly decorated room, noticing the red banners and shining armour and soft silk tassels that made up the hall. Mil watched him, her chest swelling in pride at his expressions and the excitement on his face. She swooped up to just in front of his face, making him start, and held up one finger.

Natsu cocked his head curiously, but waited in his position as she flew off and opened a door to his far right carved with a battle scene of lions fighting atop a hill. A few seconds later she darted back out and closed the door quickly, Natsu's scarf swinging in her arms.

The boy's grin grew wider and his eyes lit up, hurriedly grabbing the scarf when presented with it. He gave a small exhale of relief and felt the material between his fingers, remembering the panic he felt when he was without it. Mil took one end and helped him as he wound it around his shoulders, his black vest finally looking just the right fit as the piece of clothing was added once again. He grinned at Mil. 'Thanks!'

The fairy grinned back.

As he opened his mouth to ask where she found it, the fairy shot away from him and up the stairs, signaling him to follow. The other fae stayed on ground level in their huddle, with only the black haired fairy she had first spoken to- who Natsu assumed to be her second in command- following him to her. Mil's orange hair contrast her black, beady eyes in the light as she watched the approach and set off down a corridor at the top of the stairs, gesturing for them to come to her.

Natsu looked around as they walked. Plush carpet lined the floor here, and there was the sweet scent of honeysuckle wafting from under the doors. Each door along the two walls had a name carved into a plaque above a small painting to match- a young boy with a gap toothed grin named Ernest here, a man with wild dark hair named Daveed there. All were smiling in their paintings. All looked happy to be there.

Natsu blinked at the faces. 'Who are all these people?'

Mill glanced at where he pointed and clicked her tongue a few times. 'Bedaj, akfuh. Febgi osneo akd trite mael.'

After a brief pause, Natsu cleared his throat and nodded slowly, having no idea what had just been said.

The smaller fairy watched his confused face, and giggled. For a moment she was silent, before speaking with a heavy accent. ' _Be_ for-e.'

'...Before?' the boy looked around. 'These people were here before?'

Both Mil and the other nodded, looking at each other sadly for a moment. Natsu decided not to press further.

Once at the end of the hall, Mil twisted open a bare-doored room to their left and futtered inside.

The carpet was the same soft fur that the corridor held, however the walls were intricately carved wood patterned with swirling vines and mountains. Against the back wall, a huge bed that would have rivalled those of the Magnolian royal family sat perfectly made up, with red silk sheets and four bed posts hung with soft curtains that Natsu was almost afraid to touch lest they fall apart under his fingers. An end table stacked with fruit and rolls called attention to the rumbling in his stomach. Through a door there was a metal chamber pot and- to Natsu's utter amazement- an indoor water pump, next to a wooden pail. The floor of the bathroom was made of the same purple and red pebbles that had been in the bowls in the tunnel, the gaps filled in and smoothed over by glass. The room was hung with tapestries and paintings, and was lit once again by the strange flowers. Natsu had barely enough time to take it all in before Mil appeared once again in front of him.

The fairy now held one of the same wooden plaques as labelled the other doors, and a quill. Her second was struggling to keep a hold of a pot of ink, and kept having to dive down to catch it before it hit the carpet or spilled over the side.

Natsu blinked at them for a moment, connecting the pieces of what they wanted from him.

'Uh,' he swallowed, looking at the two fae awkwardly. 'I- thank you very much for the room, but- I can't stay.'

The two froze.

'It's not that I don't appreciate what you're doing for me, but I have to find L-' Natsu paused. 'My friend. She's alone and she's probably scared, and I don't want to leave her by herse-'

Mil's eyes turned cold once again, and she flew closer to his face, holding up the plaque. Her second glanced at her nervously and backed away.

'I don't leave my friends by themselves, Mil-'

The plaque was shoved closer to him.

Natsu almost went cross-eyed staring at the thing, and after a moment, swallowed nervously. 'I guess one night couldn't hurt, but after that I really need to find-'

Mil broke out once again into a smile and the quill was suddenly in Natsu's hand, without him remembering having taken it. Carefully he dipped it into the ink and signed his name onto the wood.

The second popped up beside Mil and peered at the name. 'Nat-sue.'

'Natsu,' he corrected, and the fae leader nodded happily, and darted out of the room, quill and plaque in hand for the second time.

'Err-an _ds_ ,' the second tittered, her voice thick from her own accent. She set down the ink pot on the end table and handed Natsu a bunch of crunchy red grapes before pointing out the door. 'Come.'

Natsu did as he was told, and closed the door after himself, picking off a grape and savouring its burst of sweetness in his dry mouth. His mouth still full and cheeks stuffed, he forced out, 'How come you're the only one who knows how to say my words when all of you can understand me?'

The second stiffened. 'You words trans-la _te_ in to our. We can no sp _eak_ you with not prac-tase.'

'So you hear my words in your language, but I can't hear yours in mine, so you need to learn?'

She nodded.

'So, what's your name?'

'Sairin.'

'That's pretty.'

She smiled warmly.

The two travelled back down the corridor, reaching the top of the staircases once again. Sairin let herself drop through the air and caught herself before she hit the ground, waiting for the bundle of energy to bounce down the stairs behind her. A doorway stood between the two staircases which she pushed open, revealing the darkness beyond. She grabbed a flower from the table beside the door and held it out in front of her, allowing her and the pinkette to see in front of them a small ways.

Natsu felt slightly more at ease than he had in the tunnels, but his guard was immediately up as they plunged into the blackness. Sairin tittered, a small comfort, and Natsu began to hear a small melody play from somewhere unknown.

Sairin suddenly stopped and held her light up to a small sign pointing left and right. To the left there was a strange small symbol painted, and to the right another. She gestured to the left and then to herself, and to the right and at Natsu in turn.

'Boy,' she said, and Natsu nodded, confusion lacing his eyes.

They took the path to the right and in the distance, Natsu could see a small point of light. As it came closer, it appeared to be leading into another illuminated room, this one smelling of cinnamon and several other spices he couldn't name. As they stepped in, the first thing he noticed was that the room was made of stone, like a cavern, and filled with steam. The second thing he noticed was that the centre of the floor was completely hollowed out to form a giant bath, filled with bubbles, the light flowers floating on the hot water's clear surface. The steam was that which carried the scent, and Natsu almost swooned. He craved a meal, but the water looked too good to pass up- there would be time to eat later. The bath had a step carved into the side, like a ledge, and looked heavenly when he started to feel all of the dirt on his skin and in his hair. The lights danced on the roof of the cavern with the water's gentle swaying. The melody continued in here as well, a soft lullaby that made him smile despite himself.

Sairin tugged at his vest sleeve, and he took off the article of clothing, along with his shoes and bottoms. He insisted on keeping the scarf; it dried quickly, and he couldn't even imagine parting with it again.

Sairin gathered up his clothes and shoes and left the way she'd come, leaving him alone. He stopped into the bath and sank below the surface, enjoying the feeling of the hot, clean water for the first time since running through the forest.

He sat on the ledge and breathed in the scent, closing his eyes in contentment.

The next thing he knew, Natsu Dragneel had fallen blissfully into sleep.


End file.
